Slow qigong moves, the dojo salute, classroom duties from Japan: here is how to play each one at home, from what age, and what the research actually says. Every game is also part of the free Kidbrain daily plan for its age.
In the middle of any game, give the signal (two claps). Everyone stops, takes one quiet breath, lets their shoulders and hands go loose, and looks at you. Then the game carries on.
Example
“Clap, clap! … Stop, breathe… let go… eyes on me? Off we go!”
Level up
Let them give the signal; later, have them use it on their own when they start getting upset.
Evidence
From the START programme, used in kindergartens in Japan. Stopping and waiting is the core of the best-supported braking games.
Tidy-up song
Inspired by JapanNot tested · Ages 2–5
How to play
When play is over, put on a short song and tidy up together before it ends. In Japan, children clean their classroom every day, taking turns (o-sōji).
Example
“Can we put it away before the song ends? Blocks go home to their box!”
Level up
Have them say first what they will put away and in what order, or tidy up with no song and no reminders.
Evidence
A school custom in Japan; there are almost no studies measuring its effect on self-control.
My job this week (tōban)
Inspired by JapanNot tested · Ages 4–10
How to play
Everyone gets one household job for a week (setting the table, watering the plants, feeding the pet) and on Sunday you rotate. Put a chart with pictures or names on the fridge.
Example
“Who has the table this week? … You! Did you check the chart?”
Level up
Let them make the chart for the whole family and decide how to rotate.
Evidence
Tōban (rotating duties) are part of the school day in Japan and are valued for the responsibility they teach; there are no studies of their effect on self-control.
Dojo salute
Inspired by KoreaSome evidence · Ages 4–10
How to play
Like traditional taekwondo: bow, take the ready stance (feet apart, fists at the waist) and stay still while you count. They only shout “kiai!” when you say “sijak!” (Korean for “begin”). No kicks or hits.
Example
“Bow… ready! Still as a mountain… 1, 2, 3… sijak!” — “Kiai!”
Level up
From 6: slow punches in the air only on your signal, and staying still if you say a different word. From 8: a 4-move sequence from memory.
Evidence
Traditional taekwondo, with its ritual of respect and self-control, improved memory and braking in children aged 5 to 11 in controlled studies; competition-style martial arts did not.
Slow-motion warrior
Inspired by ChinaSome evidence · Ages 4–10
How to play
Very slow Baduanjin moves (Chinese qigong), with the breath. 1) Hold up the sky: raise the hands, palms up, breathing in, and lower them breathing out. 2) Draw the bow: step to the side and stretch one arm as if shooting an arrow, slowly, on each side. 3 times each.
Example
“Slower than a turtle… breathe in, the sky goes up… breathe out, down.”
Level up
From 6: add 3) separate heaven and earth (one hand up, one down) and 4) look back (turn the head very slowly). From 8: all 8 moves, following a video.
Evidence
A 2026 trial in China with 90 children with ADHD found fewer braking errors after 12 weeks of Baduanjin, and a Tai Chi programme in the US reduced hyperactivity. The evidence is preliminary.
Push hands
Inspired by ChinaSome evidence · Ages 7–10
How to play
Standing face to face with palms touching. Move very slowly, pushing and yielding, without letting the hands come apart. Whoever gets the other to move a foot wins, with no hard pushing.
Example
“Gently, gently… feel where I’m pushing… don’t let go of my hands!”
Level up
With eyes closed, or at half speed.
Evidence
The Tai Chi partner game (tui shou) used in the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Tai Chi programme for children with ADHD.
Step-by-step origami
Inspired by JapanNot tested · Ages 4–10
How to play
Fold a simple figure (a cup, a dog, a plane) following the steps in order. Before each fold, they say what comes next.
Example
“First a triangle… and then? The ears!”
Level up
From 2–3 folds copying you, to 5–6 steps; from 8, following the diagram on their own.
Evidence
Good practice at following steps and planning; there are only small case studies, no controlled trials.
20-minute active block
Good evidence · Ages 6–10
How to play
15–20 minutes of play that gets them puffing: tag, ball games or races, changing the rule every few minutes (only hopping, only sideways, a new catcher). On the days it’s scheduled, it is the main game.
Example
“Rule change! Now you can only run on one foot.”
Level up
Let them invent the next rule, or flip the rules (when they hear “stop”, they run).
Evidence
Trials with children aged 6 to 12 with ADHD (a 2024 review) found better braking and flexibility with moderate aerobic exercise 2–3 times a week.
What other countries do, and how strong the evidence is
Practice
Evidence
In the plan
Baduanjin and Tai Chi (China)
Some
Small trials in children with ADHD: less hyperactivity and fewer braking errors. These are “Slow-motion warrior” and “Push hands”.
Traditional taekwondo (Korea)
Some
Improved memory and braking; competition-style martial arts did not. This is the “Dojo salute”; a class with a good teacher works too.
Stop, breathe, let go (Japanese kindergartens)
Some
Stopping mid-game is the core of the best-supported braking games. This is “Stop, breathe, let go”.
Cleaning and rotating duties: o-sōji and tōban (Japan)
Not tested
A school custom valued for the responsibility it teaches; no studies on self-control. These are “Tidy-up song” and “My job this week”.
Origami (Japan)
Not tested
Good practice at following steps; only case studies so far. This is “Step-by-step origami”.
Abacus (soroban / zhusuan)
For maths
A 3-year trial found big gains in arithmetic, but not in memory or attention in general. Not in the plan.
Paid breathwork coaching
Little
Breathing on its own has few studies in children. What has the most support is the parent work (“For parents” tab) and exercise; the calm games in this plan are free.
These are games “inspired by” these traditions, not martial arts classes: slow moves, no kicks or hits, and always with an adult.